PBS Solvers
PBS Solvers is an American hand-drawn animated comedy television series created by Kelly Asbury, produced and developed by PBS Animation, in association with Nelvana and Rough Draft Studios. The show premiered on PBS Kids in November 2008 and ended in July 2010. Premise This cartoon series featured three preteen brothers, (Peter, Biff and Sam Gunn), who solve mysteries involving supposedly supernatural creatures through a series of antics and missteps. Characters Main Characters * Peter Gunn (P-Head, voiced by Matt Hill) - The shy, soft-spoken and timid leader of the group and the middle kid of the three brothers. He has blond hair and occasionally wears a blue backwards baseball cap. His age is 12 years old. * Biff Gunn (B, voiced by Samuel Vincent) - The athletic jock of the group and the youngest of the three brothers. He has red hair and is 10 years old. * Sam Gunn (S, voiced by George Lopez) - The grouchy, smart, short-tempered and sarcastic stick-in-the-mud of the group and the oldest of the three brothers. He has black hair. His age is about 13 to 15 years old. He mostly has a close brotherly relationship with Peter (P-Head). Supporting Characters * Mr. and Mrs. Gunn (voiced by Jeff Bennett and Jill Talley) - The parents of the Gunn brothers. The two are unaware of their boys being mystery solvers (which is kept secret by the Gunn brothers), and the boys hardly receive any consequences for solving mysteries without them knowing. Unlike the other adults, these two are seen from the neck down. * Mr. Fincher (voiced by Billy West) - The teacher at the Gunn brothers' middle school. * The Principal (voiced by James Arnold Taylor) - A handsome man with blond hair, a blue suit and a black tie. * * * * * * * * Villains Most villains are one-shot characters * Voice Cast * Matt Hill - Peter Gunn (P-Head) * Samuel Vincent - Biff Gunn (B) * George Lopez - Sam Gunn (S) * Jeff Bennett - Mr. Gunn * Jill Talley - Mrs. Gunn * Tara Strong * Michael Bell * Frank Welker * Lee Tockar * Ben Diskin * Grey Griffin * Tabitha St. Germain * Richard Ian Cox * Kathleen Barr * Andrew Francis * Trevor Duvall * Ian James Corlett * Terry Klassen * James Arnold Taylor * Cathy Weseluck * John Stocker * Harvey Atkin * Jeannie Elias Episodes See /Episodes Production Animation of the series was mostly outsourced to Rough Draft Korea, in order to retain the old-school hand-drawn style of Saturday morning cartoons (with a mix of Disney and Warner Bros.-style expressions and contemporary animation techniques). Kelly Asbury was the main writer of the series, along with writers Jace Richdale, Doug Langdale and Matt Selman. Reception Despite being praised by critics, it was cancelled after two seasons and 26 episodes. Trivia * George Lopez is the only American celebrity voice actor to participate and to play the third member of the PBS Solvers: Sam Gunn (S). The rest of the voice artists are mostly Canadian: Matt Hill, Samuel Vincent, etc. and some American: Michael Bell, Frank Welker, etc. * The show's art style is influenced by Walter Lantz cartoons and Disney's 1990s animated television series, while the humor is influenced by Walt Kelly's Pogo, E.C. Segar's Popeye the Sailor, Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts, Warner Bros' Looney Tunes shorts, MGM shorts directed by Tex Avery and Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo. * The PBS Solvers' character designs were inspired by the 1971 PBS logo ident. * Unlike other PBS shows, this show is not interactive and is more character and story-based, much to the delight of fans. * Peter and Sam Gunn's close brotherly relationship is a reference to Pogo Possum and Porky Pine's friendship. Gallery human_1971_pbs_letters.jpg human_1971_pbs_letters_full_concept_final.jpg human_1971_pbs_letters_p_head_concept_final.jpg human_1971_pbs_letters_p_head_concept_2_final.jpg human_1971_pbs_letters_b_concept_final.jpg human_1971_pbs_letters_b_concept_2_final.jpg human_1971_pbs_letters_s_concept_final.jpg pbs_solvers_gunn_brothers_parents_final.jpg Poll What do you think of the show, PBS Solvers? Excellent Amazing Great Good Mediocre Bad Terrible Abysmal Category:GrishamAnimationStudios102's ideas Category:KKDisney's ideas Category:Hand-drawn animation Category:Traditional animated Category:Cartoons Category:PBS Animation Category:TV Series Category:TV Shows